1. Field of the Invention
The claimed invention relates to a utility workstation for positioning various types of workpieces, and especially for positioning workpieces requiring adjustable vertical and/or horizontal rotation. The claimed invention further relates to a utility workstation employing display, storage, and local light and magnifier means.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The claimed invention is a utility workstation, which is herein defined as an adaptable workpiece positioning device for presenting a suspended workpiece before an operator. The claimed invention permits employing local light and magnifier sources and auxiliary components designed to facilitate the work process; auxiliary components being holders, supports, trays, storage units, and the like.
The work desk is a very familiar example of the basic workstation. We typically place the everyday things that we use to do our work either in, on, or about our desk, while we use the top of our desk to display and negotiate our work. We do this to maintain organization in our work affairs and to minimize our having to get up from our desk to find and use the basic tools and materials of our work. So it is with the utility workstation concept as applied in this document. Auxiliary components provide means for displaying and storing the tools and aids for the work to be performed and the positioning device provides means for displaying and negotiating the work itself.
How one might use the claimed invention is a function of the requirements of the work to be performed in much the same way that the nature of our work principally determines what we put in and on our desk; there are numerous applications which could be claimed for it. For example, the claimed invention is particularly useful for arts and crafts pursuits in that (1) it allows a hobbyist or artist to work while sitting, (2) it provides for an assortment of specialty holders and supports, (3) it allows an object or material to be presented in a variety of positions, (4) it provides local light and magnifier sources, and (5) it provides for various types of trays and containers for tools and supplies.
The claimed invention is a free-standing workpiece positioner that easily accommodates various seating means as it allows the workpiece to be swiveled away from the working position and out of the way of an operator leaving or entering his or her seat. The swivel action of the claimed invention is not found in the prior art.
Several U.S. patents include design aspects recognizable in the claimed invention under examination in this application. These include: Nolting, U.S. Pat. No. 1,432,725; Webb, U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,006; Dubbs et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,980; and Adams, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 5,141,211. Adams, Jr. is nearest in approximating some of the design concepts of the claimed invention but even it does not anticipate the swivel action of the claimed invention or its integration of auxiliary components into its overall structure as integral parts of the device rather than as add-on extras.
The ability to swivel the workpiece into and away from the working position and to match the auxiliary requirements for accomplishing a task with the basic and adaptive features of the claimed invention results in an exceptional tool for task-specific and general purpose utilization not present in the related prior art.
The overall object of the claimed invention is to provide a typically seated operator with means for positioning a suspended workpiece as needed, wherein the operator is allowed unencumbered access to a seating means by permitting the workpiece to be moved from a retracted position, where the workpiece is out of the entry and exit path, to a working position, where the workpiece is at a preferred location and orientation for working. The claimed invention includes local light and magnifier sources as well as means for incorporating auxiliary components that provide display and storage options for tools and supplies.
Therefore, one principal object of the claimed invention is to provide a versatile means for positioning a suspended workpiece, permitting that workpiece to be raised, lowered, and rotated horizontally and/or vertically.
Another principal object of the claimed invention is to permit a workpiece to be laterally moved fully into or away from a working position.
Another principal object of the claimed invention is to provide light and magnifier sources.
Another principal object of the claimed invention is to provide for auxiliary components such as holders, supports, trays, and containers as would be useful for a given application.
Another principal object of the claimed invention is to provide a base system that can be configured for operation of the claimed invention from the left side or right side.